Towcester's whip ban unlikely to be passed Towcester's decision to ban jockeys from hitting their mounts with the whip appears unlikely to be ratified by the British Horseracing Authority in the immediate future. Directors at the Northamptonshire venue want all races to be run under the same regulations as those which accompany the apprentice hands and heels series at their jumps meetings from October 5. Should the move be passed, jockeys would be allowed to carry whips - but only use them in front of the saddle. The BHA had already announced a review of the use of the whip following complaints received after the victory of Ballabriggs in the Grand National. Winning rider Jason Maguire picked up a five-day ban for excessive use yet was allowed to keep the race. Towcester's initiative cannot be implemented without their approval. "We only received Towcester's request yesterday afternoon," said the BHA's head of communications, Paul Struthers. "This is certainly not something that can happen without the permission and agreement of the BHA. "Racing is the most highly regulated of equine disciplines, and our rules are under constant review. "Whilst the vast majority of riders comply with the rules and use the whip responsibly, we decided to review our rules relating to acceptable use of the whip some time ago, and certainly before Aintree and the subsequent media interest. "Towcester's request will be looked at as part of this wider review. "We have already had several discussions with David Muir from the RSPCA about it and statistical analysis has been ongoing for some time. World Horse Welfare and the SSPCA will also be involved. "We will be looking at the effectiveness of the existing rules and the penalty structure and also the appropriateness of the rules regarding what is deemed acceptable use. "This will be a wide-ranging review of the issue, which will seek the views and input from various sectors within the industry. It will also take into account the views of those who watch and bet on racing as well as wider public perception, through polling and a survey. "We are not in a position to put a timescale on when we will reach our conclusions. How the whip is best regulated within racing for the good of the sport is a crucial issue for the sport to get to grips with, and it is vital we get it right." Towcester, who offer free entry to racegoers, believe the time is right to make the bold move. "We've thought about it for quite a while and we just felt the timing was right to go with this strategy," their general manager Kevin Ackerman told At The Races. "We feel that a large section of society is turned off by their perception that it is cruel because of the use of the whip. "The groundswell of public opinion seems to be reaching a crescendo that the whip is cruel to horses and that seems to be the public's perception. "We are all aware that for the majority of the time the whip is used in a finish, but whips can be used at the start and in the middle of a race for those horses that are slightly ungenuine. "The policy at Towcester is we advocate jockeys carrying the whip, but we don't advocate it being used behind the saddle in any stage of the race. "Racing is going through changes and we feel this is the right time and are viewing it as a case for the BHA to use us a pilot racecourse to test the water on this subject." However, veteran jump jockey Andrew Thornton is against it. "It's quite an emotive issue at the moment and I wouldn't be in favour of it," said Thornton, who coincidentally will be riding at the track on Sunday. "The way things are at the moment and the way they are policed from a rider's point of view, it has progressed so much in the last 10 years. "The Professional Jockeys Association have worked very closely with animal rights and the Horsemen's Group. We are doing our best to try to bring the sport forward. "It's unfortunate that the Grand National has been a catalyst for so many reasons and the whip has become such an issue. "The whip is an aid to encourage a horse to do his best. "Things have to keep moving forward and we've got to improve things as much as we can. Personally, I don't think getting rid of the stick would be an improvement." The Towcester stance has been welcomed by Channel 4 racing pundit John McCririck, who has been campaigning for whip reform for a long time. "It's absolutely fantastic news. At last, racing is doing self-help," he said. "The use of the whip is totally unacceptable. It can't go on. "I've been saying for years, along with others, that we have got to do away with hitting animals in the name of sport. "Towcester are doing a fantastic initiative. Full credit to them. They are a family course. Kids and women especially don't want to see horses hit. Racing will go on without it. "It is the only sport where you can hit a living thing. In life nowadays you can't hit anything except for racehorses. It's got to be wrong. "At the end of the Grand National with millions of people watching it we saw animals that are exhausted yet they are being hit. "Hands and heels races help bring out horsemanship and the natural horsemen. Well done to Towcester. "The whip is an image problem racing has got even though a lot has been done. "Using the whip gives the wrong impression and people are more sickened by it."
